Electrosensitivity | | Sick
of modern life - allergic to electricity? |
Can mod cons make
you ill? Imagine being allergic to modern life with every telephone, computer
and kitchen appliance causing you severe pain and headaches. It’s a
condition known as Electrosensitivity and while it’s still very rare, a doctor
from the West says it’s becoming increasingly common. Others though
claim there’s simply no evidence to prove it even exists. Inside Out
West hears the remarkable story of an award winning sculptor, from Charterhouse
near Cheddar, who says her life’s been turned upside down by what amounts
to an allergy to the 21st century. Tingling sensation The
first time Margaret Lovell realised something was wrong was when she felt a tingling
sensation every time she used a portable phone.  | | Super
sensitivity - Margaret Lovell suffered headaches |
Before long
she was complaining of severe headaches whenever she used electrical equipment.
She had to pack in her job as a college lecturer when the pain became too much
to cope with. No-one knows how widespread the condition is. Estimates
range from a few per thousand people to a few per million. Dr David Dowson,
who practices in Bath, is one of the country's leading experts in the field. He's
frustrated that very few doctors recognise the condition. "We
could do nothing and wait for several years and then realise it's too late and
many of these patients might, by then, be markedly ill. Or we could err on the
side of caution, accept the possibility of the diagnosis, and do something about
it here and now."
Dr David Dowson
But those who believe
in the causes of Electrosensitivity have had a setback recently with the publication
of an official 42 page report by the Health Protection Agency.
| "I think it's going to be a long term problem. I have
been told the only way to overcome it is to avoid it. You cannot avoid these things
in present day life, but certainly one just has to do one's best to avoid it." |
| Margaret Lovell who experiences electro-sensitivity |
While it recognises that people like Margaret are suffering severe
consequences, it goes on to say that there's no consistent scientific evidence
of a link between the symptoms and electromagnetic fields. But Margaret
is so convinced about the cause of her symptoms that she's taken to sleeping in
her garden shed. She says, "it means I do get some relief and it helps
me to get a better night's sleep, away from all things electrical". Links
relating to this story:The BBC is not responsible for the content of
external websites | 
Inside
Out - West: Monday January 16, 2006
